There was a chaotic situation at the MCA BKC Ground in Mumbai when Jammu & Kashmir wicketkeeper Kanhaiya Wadhawan caught Ajinkya Rahane down the leg side and was declared out, on Friday afternoon (January 24). Rahane was then brought back in a somewhat questionable manner. When umpires S Ravi and Navdeep Singh Sidhu ruled that a delivery by Umar Nazir on the first of the 25th over in the Mumbai second innings was a no-ball, the Mumbai skipper was already in the pavilion and Shardul Thakur was in the ground.
Umpires call back Rahane
After a few minutes, Thakur was sent back after being requested to wait. It appeared as though the Mumbai No. 8 was being timed out based on the series of events. This was even stated by the commentators. However, the replacement batter quickly went back when Rahane returned to the field.
The official broadcaster of the game never showed the no-ball during the live broadcast. When contacted, the BKC ground's television production staff said that the third umpire had access to the video and that it did not. The third umpire-cum-match referee, Nitin Goel, claimed that poor communication was to blame for the confusion and delay.
"When I tried reaching out to the umpire on the walkie talkie, the umpire was on a different channel. So it took some time to communicate to the on-field umpire. Rahane himself appeared on the screen, indicating that he did not hear the umpires asking him to wait. It was a clear no ball and there was no doubt about it. I will send the relevant footage to the BCCI," said Nitin Goel
Even while the referee is certain that the correct call was made in this one instance, this cannot be confirmed for a few other instances during the game. In its assessment of the game, the visiting team is unlikely to award the umpires full marks. Rahane's second life was brief as he was removed after just two overs after being beautifully caught in the covers by the same bowler, Umar Nazir, by his Jammu & Kashmir counterpart, Paras Dogra.
Before verifying Rahane's dismissal, the umpires stopped play once again to look for a no-ball. Mumbai, the 42-time defending champions, were 91 for 6 and trying to avoid a complete defeat after giving up an 86-run advantage earlier. He was sixth man out.